WVDOT accepts bids remotely for 37 projects

CHARLESTON, WV – A pair of rural bridge replacement projects are among 37 projects included in a bid letting conducted by the West Virginia Division of Highways on Tuesday, June 8, 2021. West Virginia Division of Highways continues to hold bid lettings remotely to more projects forward while protecting the public from COVID-19.

June’s bid letting includes two bridge replacement projects paid for with money from Gov. Jim Justice’s $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity construction and maintenance program.

“West Virginia’s public highway system includes a multitude of signature bridges that are widely known for their uniqueness, historic value, or record-breaking spans,” said West Virginia Division of Highways State Bridge Engineer Tracy Brown. “However, the majority of our state’s structures are much smaller bridges that are not quite as well-known, spanning less than 100 feet. The safety and serviceability of these smaller bridges are just as important to the communities and towns they serve throughout our state. Our citizens depend on these bridges to provide safe and efficient access to their daily destinations.

“The Roads to Prosperity program has enabled us to significantly increase our efforts in replacing many of these smaller structures, many which had previously been posted for reduced weight restrictions,” Brown said.

Bridge replacement projects on June’s bid letting include the Guyan Creek Bridge in Mason County and the Barnes Run bridge in Calhoun County. Both bridges would require lengthy detours for local residents if taken out of service. Brown said one Mason County man who works in Charleston said it would take him an extra 90 minutes to get to work if the Guyan Creek Bridge were closed.

When the Division of Highways has a project that is determined to be best constructed by a contractor, it is processed through the bid letting system. A letting is a scheduled opportunity for contractors to review and bid on several construction projects at one time. Lettings are held either once or twice per month and conducted through the Bid Express System online at www.bidx.comand handled through the Contract Administration Division. Contractors need to subscribe to Bid Express before bids can be accepted on any project.

As the date and time approaches for the deadline of the letting, contractors are expected to place their bids, with complete documentation as necessary. Shortly after the letting, the projects with the each of the respective bids are reviewed. All bids are evaluated thoroughly for competitiveness and deemed acceptable through guidelines as approved by policy, reviewed and approved by the FHWA. Award of the contracts is made based on recommendation by our Awards Committee based on the results that evaluation and approval by the Commissioner. Projects are typically awarded to the lowest bidder which has all proper documentation in place.

The West Virginia Division of Highways is reviewing the bids and hopes to award contracts for these projects soon. Several factors are considered before awarding a bid, including whether a bid falls above or below the WVDOH Engineer’s Estimate and by what percentage. In cases where a bid is above the Engineer’s Estimate, WVDOH must consider the project need, repercussions of not awarding the project, additional funding sources and whether or not sufficient reasons exist for the differences in estimates. Most projects are reviewed, analyzed and awarded within a week of the bid letting, but the process can take longer.

Other projects which received bids in this letting are:

35th and 36th Street ADA ramps, Staunton, Noyes, Cottage and side road intersections (Kanawha County).
Pennsylvania Avenue ADA ramps (Hancock County).
Weston, Jane Lew ADA ramps (Lewis County).
Temple Street resurfacing (Summers County).
Interstate 70 paving (Ohio County).
Parsons-Wolf Run resurfacing (Tucker County).
Jackson Street ADA ramps (Marion County).
Mineral Wells traffic signals (Wood County).
Waverly-Willow Island Road paving and drainage (Pleasants County).
Sissonville Drive ADA ramps (Kanawha County).
Right Fork Spring Creek Road paving and drainage (Roane County).
Harding-Aggregates resurfacing (Randolph County).
Fourth Street bridge replacement (Lewis County).
West Virginia Police Sgt. Harold E. Dailey Bridge deck replacement (Kanawha County).
District 8 guardrail replacement.
Old Strasburg Road paving (Hardy County).
Raised pavement marker installation (Statewide).
District 9 guardrail replacement.
Dallas Pike Interchange resurfacing (Ohio County).
Gassaway-Flatwoods Road resurfacing (Braxton County).
Sam Black-Rusty Bridge resurfacing (Greenbrier County).
Beech Bottom sidewalk improvements (Brooke County).
Interstate 79 rest area resurfacing (Harrison County).
Jackson County Line-Rockport resurfacing and guardrails (Wood County).
Wayne County Line-WV 152 resurfacing (Cabell County).
Gore Road piling wall (Harrison County).
US 119 centerline preservation (Boone County).
Parkersburg-Dry Run resurfacing (Wood County).
I-79 sign renovation (Marion County).
Welcome center sewage and plumbing (Preston County).
Charleston road surface improvement (Kanawha County).
Guyan Creek Bridge replacement (Mason County, Roads to Prosperity project).
Liverpool Road slip repair (Roane County, Roads to Prosperity project).
Berea Hill slip repair (Ritchie County).
Trout Run Bridge replacement (Pocahontas County).
Davis Creek Bridge work (Kanawha County).
Barnes Run Bridge replacement (Calhoun County, Roads to Prosperity project).

WVDOT accepts bids remotely for 37 projects

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